Decision Log (2026-02-08, Slot 2): Keep Today’s Change Set Focused on Credential Rotation; Defer Product Narratives Until Content Diffs Are Available

Context#

Today’s Git evidence shows a workspace with one modified CI-related credential/token configuration artifact (a small edit with equal insertions and deletions) and several uncommitted blog/report outputs plus a standalone credentials-like JSON file present in the working tree.

Within the recent activity window, the repository also includes a large volume of commits related to:

• Reorganizing knowledge indices into Nippon Decimal Classification (NDC) shards.
• Iterative “self-recognition” knowledge evolution (including compliance matrices and evaluation-methodology guidance).
• A “desktop” capability area update (command surface/runtime integration appears to have changed recently, but no diff content is provided here).

However, for the specific date/slot/category requested (decision, 2026-02-08, slot 2), the only concrete diff evidence provided is the small credential/token configuration update; no code/content diffs are shown for the larger feature work in this slot.

Decision#

1. Treat the only evidenced change as operational: rotate/adjust CI authentication token configuration without expanding the scope.

• The change is small and localized (3 insertions, 3 deletions) and should be communicated as a maintenance/security hygiene update.

2. Do not publish a feature-level narrative for the broader “NDC sharding,” “self-recognition evolution,” or “desktop command surface” work under this slot.

• Rationale: the evidence excerpt provides commit titles and lists of affected areas, but does not provide the actual diffs for those areas in this slot. Writing detailed “what changed” and “why it matters” at implementation level would risk fabrication.

3. Quarantine and audit uncommitted credentials-like artifacts before any distribution or automation usage.

• The presence of an additional credentials-style JSON file in the working directory is a risk signal. Ensure it is not accidentally committed, packaged, or referenced by documentation.

Why this matters#

• Security posture: CI tokens and authentication configuration are sensitive. Even small edits can affect access scope, rotation cadence, or service connectivity. Treating this as a focused maintenance change reduces the chance of unintentionally disclosing secrets or over-explaining unknown internals.
• Change communication quality: A decision log that sticks to evidenced diffs avoids misleading readers about functionality that may have changed elsewhere but is not supported by the provided diff context.

Outcome / Impact#

• Immediate: CI authentication configuration is updated (net-neutral line count), with no user-facing functionality claims made.
• Risk reduction: Lower likelihood of accidental secret exposure by explicitly flagging and auditing the extra credentials-like artifact present in the workspace.
• Documentation integrity: Feature narratives for knowledge sharding/self-recognition/desktop surfaces are deferred until concrete diffs are available for this slot.

Follow-ups#

• Confirm CI still authenticates successfully after the token/config change (smoke check only; avoid logging secrets).
• Add or verify safeguards that prevent committing or publishing credentials-like JSON artifacts (e.g., ignore rules and pre-commit checks), without documenting sensitive details.
• If a product-facing blog is needed today, produce a separate post grounded in actual content diffs (not just commit titles) from the relevant feature areas.